This time, I’ve found something in the same family but with a new twist. In the past, I focused on ideas that included double strokes or paradiddles. But I wanted a new way of playing this kind of stuff.

Here’s why. I played a show with my band, LEVEL5, and during one of my solos, where I play over a vamp, I started playing a paradiddle-diddle idea. But when I played the recording back the next day, I realized that the idea did not sound right. The articulation was lost. I was disappointed. Part of it had to do with the kind of room we were performing in that night. It was a little bigger venue than we had been playing. We were mixed more like a rock band this time. Part of it had to do with how I executed it—I did not play it perfectly. In a room that size, with a mix like that, it is more difficult for the subtleties of a paradiddle or a double stroke based idea to translate to the audience.

So, I thought: “Let’s come up with some ideas based on SINGLES so that the next time we play in that kind of situation, the articulation will come through.”

And, there you have it. I went into the practice room, and this is the result. It sounds trite, but, the old saying, “necessity is the mother of invention” holds true—at least in this case. And therein lies “Nasty Lick 98.” Here is the PDF: Nasty Drum Lick 98

Let me know what you think!

PS – Imagine that you could regularly get these Nasty Licks delivered to your email inbox every time we post one. Great drumming vocabulary to raise your drumming level–free. Go do it–just type your email addy into the form below, and click that button.